Functional silane based polymers for sensing and separations

Abstract

The work reported in this dissertation has focused primarily on two areas: Synthesis of functional silane based polymers and application of these polymers for separations and sensing. In the first part we reported on the design of a library of silane based copolymers synthesized with various side groups and substitutions on phenyl ring and their characterization using FTIR, UV, H1NMR, TGA and DSC. In the second part of this work, we describe the self-assembly of the above mentioned copolymers into multilayer onto various substrates, characterization of the materials on layered substrates and finally application of these polymers as sensors. The incorporation of silane/alkoxysilane monomer directly into the backbone of the copolymer and the assembly of these polymers into multilayer is accomplished through formation of siloxane bonds (Si-O-Si). The preparation of a terpolymer allowed for the layer-by-layer deposition of these polymers, where we observed a constant loading density as a function of deposition cycle. AFM studies aimed at understanding the physical properties (Young's and adhesive forces) of the resulting thin-films under various conditions. We have also been able to successfully demonstrate the self-assembly of silica and silica-polymer composites onto these interfaces using a simple dip-coating process. We attempted a facile non-lithographic approach towards the assembly of chemical sensing arrays. Finally, we demonstrated the applicability of these polymers for sensing amines and nitro compounds. This work represents our ability to design, control and utilize novel materials for various applications. ^